Death Is Only The Beginning
by neonwilde
Summary: A fic set after the events of The Vampire Diaries S04E12
1. Chapter 1

It had only been a few days since Kol's brutal murder. Klaus was sitting alone in his study, chin resting heavily on his clasped hands. Kol had been the third brother that had been taken from him in a lifetime, and even though he had felt this pain before, it never got any easier. First Henrik, then Finn and now Kol. The younger vampire may have been a troublemaker but that didn't change the fact that as a family they loved one and other. He could claim all he wanted that he possessed no humanity, but when it came to family, his feelings were bare. Family above all. That was how it was, and how it always should have been, but that hardly mattered now. He'd let his brother die. Klaus had watched him burn to death, heard his screams of agony, and because of that Bennett witch, he hadn't been able to do a thing about it.

Every time the hybrid closed his eyes, his mind was burdened with his brothers dying screams. It cut him deep to the core, and though he didn't require sleep, now it was all he could think about. It seemed like the only way of being able to forget what had happened. Klaus let out a long and pained sigh, scrunching his eyes shut and looking away from the desk in front of him. "You should have just told him the bloody plan," he growled to himself. Once again, his mind spun back to the Gilbert house and the events that had unfolded there only a few nights earlier.

Klaus knew Kol had been causing trouble around Mystic Falls, especially in regards to finding the cure. It was Elena that had alerted him to that, even requesting that he call off his younger brother. It was laughable really, but keeping his siblings in check was what he did best. Or at least, that's what they thought he did, but the reality of the situation was somewhat different. Every time he daggered them, it was for their own protection. Rebekah, for example, she loved to easily and was drawn to follow her heart rather than her head. Whenever it seemed like she would fall too hard and land herself in danger, he would dagger her and hide her away, safe from the world and it's horrors. That was all Klaus cared about, her safety. It didn't matter if she was miserable, he knew from experience that she would soon get over it, but if she was safe, then Klaus would have his family, and they could all live together and strike fear into the hearts of all who knew of them. The original family, together, forever, that was his dream, but things never seemed to work out that way. Even now, with them all living in the same house they were at war and all over some damn cure.

Ever since Elena had requested that Kol leave Jeremy alone, Klaus had been working non stop to find his estranged brother. He'd been all over Mystic falls and still there was no sight of the bastard, and now he was stuck babysitting Damon Salvatore, to make sure he didn't escape and try and kill Jeremy like Kol had compelled him to do. For a moment, he considered why it was he was doing the bidding of the doppelgänger, was it for Caroline? No, it was more than that, it was so the cure would be safe, so Stefan would think he was still on their side. It was all part of his plan to destroy the cure once and for all, for Klaus was almost certain that when the damn thing was found they would try and use it on him, to make him human so that he could be killed without the death of his bloodline. The hybrid laughed at the thought. Everything they tried, he had evaded, but apparently they were once again after his family. He cursed at the thought. Fledgling vampires, a teenage witch and a trainee hunter thinking they could overthrow the greatest family of all time. Oh how delusional they were.

Feeling his phone move in his pocket, Klaus stretched his hands downward into the fabric of his dark blue jeans and clasped his fingers around it. Hopefully this would be some news and not just another Gilbert begging for help and protection. Thankfully, it wasn't the latter, it was just Kol. During the entirety of the phone call, Klaus couldn't believe what he was hearing. They were actually trying to kill his little brother, and Kol was convinced he knew about it. The elder hybrid was livid, and would be sure to punish everyone for their lies and deceit, but at that moment, he had to get to Kol.

With a glare, Klaus headed for the door, "sorry Damon, more important people to see."

Slamming the basement door shut, Klaus hurled himself up the staircase typing a message to Kol as he went. There was no time to get Rebekah, and Elijah was god knows where. He needed to do this alone.

"_Come home now Kol, I mean it. They are not worth it, we can make them suffer together."_

Speeding out the door, he came to a halt at the end of the driveway. Klaus needed to find the quickest way to the Gilbert's home, but it was all the way over on the other side of town. It wasn't much of an obstacle for the fastest creature on the planet, but it may have already been too late. Another vibration from his phone. It was Kol.

"_Keeping Silas dead in the ground is worth suffering the curse for, brother, I'm doing you a favour. Must dash though, got to de-arm my Colorado "bestie" as they call them nowadays!"_

An angry growl erupted from the back of Klaus' throat. His idiot brother was going to ruin his only chance at destroying that retched cure, and possibly die in the process. He had to get across town, and he had to get there fast, but it was Rebekah that occupied his thoughts as he took that first step. She was with Stefan, surely he wouldn't hurt her, or let anything bad happen to her. No. Klaus knew Stefan, he knew that his old friend would never cross him like that, not now when they were so close to finding the cure.


	2. Chapter 2

Jamming his phone back into his pocket, Klaus sped off across the town, pushing himself to his very limits. If anything happened to Kol, he would never forgive himself. Klaus' plan to destroy the cure was only known on a "need to know" basis, and in his mind, Kol didn't need to know, and if he had known, he probably would have blurted it out, henceforth ending any chance Klaus had of being that one step closer to invincibility. It was a long and twisted plan, but he couldn't falter, he couldn't lose his way to the cure.

Faster and faster Klaus pushed himself through Mystic Falls, and within a few seconds he was at the end of the Gilbert's street, but Kol was nowhere to be seen. He listened carefully for any trace of his younger brother, chewing on his bottom lip for reassurance. From out of the darkness he picked up on a faint conversation, presumably between Kol and Jeremy since they were talking about arms. At least Kol was still alive though, that was a relief in itself.

Suddenly, a blood curdling scream pierced through the air, hitting Klaus and causing him to stumble slightly.  
"Kol..." he breathed, gathering his strength and throwing himself towards the Gilbert residence.

He was too late. As Klaus stood there frozen in the door way, he could see the glow of light emitted by the flames that engulfed his younger brother, and the screams that accompanied it cut away at his very soul. From his position in the doorway, he could see through to where his youngest sibling staggered forward, burning alive, screaming out in unimaginable pain, and it broke his heart. A rage burned within him, a burning desire for revenge, and at the corners of his eyes, tears began to boil up from deep inside of him. Klaus was watching his brother slowly dying, and there was nothing he could do about it. The hurt that he felt in that moment had completely paralysed him, and it was then, with a crash and a last pleaing yell, that Kol finally fell down to the floor, dead, and burning.

Never in his life had Klaus Mikaelson been so hurt, at least, not since Henrik. Yes, he loved Finn, but Finn had betrayed them all, and tried to kill the entire family. Kol, on the other hand, was different. He was young, and though he could be a brat at times it was Kol who contributed most to the way the name Mikaelson struck fear in the hearts of all who knew of them. It was Kol that was so good at worming his way out of trouble, and who could always make Rebekah come back to them. It was Kol that cared more than any of them about being a family. However, the worst thing about the whole situation was that Kol had died thinking Klaus had wanted him dead. Thinking that his own brother would take away his life and not think anything of it. It was that which hit Klaus the hardest, and any hint of humanity he had left had been

Clenching his jaw, Klaus stared in at the mess that had unfolded before his eyes. Jeremy in the farthest corner of the room, and Elena in the doorway. They didn't look half as scared as they should have done, and their unjustified babble of reasoning did nothing to calm the raging hybrid. Had it not been for his lack of invitation into the house, he would have torn their hearts from their still living bodies. That was a cause worth suffering the hunters curse for, avenging Kol and ripping out the dead heart of that doppelgänger bitch and her stupid brother, just as he would have wanted.

It was at that point, Klaus lost any sense of composure he had left. Rising from his chair, he grabbed the arms and launched it through the window with a roar of intense pain. Shards of glass exploded from the frame, some falling outwards and some shattering back inwards. The head of the Mikaelson family fell to his knees sobbing uncontrollably. He was weak from mourning, and even though Elijah had returned, the family didn't feel any more complete. Without Kol, they were torn, and until he was avenged, that would be the way it remained.


	3. Chapter 3

Down the hallway, Rebekah lay curled up on her bed, hot tears streaming down her face. She had been crying for so long, it almost felt like her eyes were burnt. For hours she had lain there, absolutely still, making no sound and just allowing the tear drops to roll down her bare cheeks. Some moments she would be overcome with grief, and then she would lie still, listening to the goings on in the household. When she heard the window smash downstairs, Rebekah flinched, and curled up tighter, afraid of what might happen if she were to let the rage overcome her instead of the grief. They didn't need to be fighting amongst themselves, not then. This was time to grieve for their loss, each sibling in their own way. Every inch of her body ached with despair for her little brother. He was the one she had been closest to after their reunion in Mystic Falls. He was against Klaus' rules with her, and the rules their mother set while she was still with them, and even though he did occasionally poke fun at her, Rebekah knew how close to his heart she was. Everyone did, really. Elijah had come home as soon as he'd heard, and he was now pacing the downstairs living room trying to calm himself to no avail. For a while she'd tuned in to the gentle sound of his feet pattering across the wooden floor, but, like everything else she tried that day, it had been abandoned in favour of a bland, painful silence. She should have been used to being alone by now. Until Elijah had arrived the day before, Rebekah had been totally alone aside from a few visits from Stefan. It wasn't until that morning that she'd discovered Nik had been trapped in the Gilbert's house for the days the followed her younger brother's murder. They were a divided family, almost worse than usual, but Rebekah was confident this would unite them. They couldn't afford to lose another member of their family, and it devastated her to think of all the pointless bickering she had done with Kol the last time she'd seen him.

"I should have protected him..." she cried softly, clinging his pillow closer to her body.

It still smelt of the aftershave he'd chosen for that century. A warm, woody smell that normally brought her comfort when he disappeared for long periods of time without telling her. It was things like that which often caused her to question whether he even cared about her at all, but deep down, she knew. She knew she was _his_ Rebekah, and he would protect her even when the rest of the family didn't.

As she inhaled the scent that was so familiar, her body was racked with uncontrollable sobs. Has she even been bothered to wear make up that day, it would have been trailed down her face, all over her white bed sheets and all over the only reminder of her brother that she had left. Harder and harder she cried, almost begging now for the emotion to leave her alone.

"God, Kol, no!"

Her fingers dug deep into his pillow, piercing the dark silk and causing a few feathers to fluff upwards into the air. Rebekah would have given anything to have him back, and when she got her chance, nothing would stop her from tearing the doppelgänger head from her damned shoulders. That almost seemed to merciful. The little bitch deserved to suffer much more than that for everything she had done. She had taken Stefan away, she'd killed Finn, and now Kol, she'd almost killed Nik, there was no point to her existence.

"I hate her..." Rebekah croaked as she curled up into an even tighter ball than before.

From her pit of despair, she didn't even notice her door opening and her elder brother coming in, not until he spoke to her.

"Rebekah, sweetheart..."

Elijah spoke softly, for he knew what his siblings were like. They were all so volatile, and Rebekah was much more vulnerable and in need of attention than Nikalus was. The hybrid would likely take out his anger on some material possessions, destroying them just to remind himself that he was still there. Elijah himself had not shed a singe tear, he wasn't even sure if he could any more. Instead, he had paced silently, allowing the realisation to sink in. The realisation that he would never bicker with his youngest brother ever again, that they would never have another drink together, they would never return to England as a family. The only comfort Elijah could take from the situation was that now Kol was at peace. He no longer had to worry about being daggered every time Niklaus' rage overcame him.

Pacing quietly over to the edge of his sister's bed, Elijah placed himself in the gap beside her knees and stomach. He could see she was clinging to Kol's pillow, and it hit him like a stake to the heart. She was clearly the most upset, and would suffer from this grief and anger long from that moment in time. Taking a nervous breath, Elijah let his fingertips brush softly across her tear-stained cheek.

"How are you feeling?"

Rebekah hardly reacted at all. She sniffled a little, her eyes falling shut at his touch, but that was about it.

"Bekah...please, talk to me," he pleaded softly, staring down at his sister with a look of intense worry.

"Talk to you.." she repeated coarsely, "Talk. To you. Why the bloody hell would I want to talk to you?!"

Tossing the pillow somewhere behind her, she took hold of Elijah's shirt and tossed him across the room, standing to follow after him as he leant against the door in shock. He stared at her with a look of hurt and confusion.

"You left, Elijah! You left and Kol died! You weren't here and he was allowed to die!"

His sisters words struck him like one of Niklaus' daggers. He knew she could be cold and harsh, but this seemed to have broken her, and in turn, her words broke him. A solitary tear rolled down his left cheek.

"Rebekah I...I'm sorry.."

"Oh you're sorry! You're sorry! YOU'RE ALL BLOODY SORRY AND IT MAKES NO DAMN DIFFERENCE BECAUSE KOL IS DEAD!"

Reaching to her right, she grabbed a photo frame from her bedside table and launched it across the room. Instead of moving, Elijah remained where he was, grimacing as the corner of the frame embedded itself in his stomach. Rebekah was right, he had left, and he had left knowing what his brothers were like and what they were capable of. This was his family, and he should have protected them. He flinched as his fingers wrapped round the edge of the frame to pull it out from his flesh. She had a good aim, Rebekah, and never missed when she was throwing things at them. Turning it over in his hand he couldn't help but check to see which picture occupied the frame, even against his better judgement. If on'y he'd trusted his instinct. It had been a photo of the five of them at their ball the year before, one of the rare occasions they would all stand together. There was Kol and Rebekah in the front, smirking deviously as though they had just cooked up some mischief, and them himself, Finn and Niklaus standing defensively behind them. Elijah had always been more afraid for Kol and Rebekah than anyone else. They were young and reckless, and having spent so many years living without a threat, it was no wonder they lived life so carelessly.

Rebekah was now staring at him intently, waiting for some kind of answer. An answer he could never give her. There was no excuse for his absence, and he would never forgive himself for leaving.

"Do you know what the last thing he said to me was?" she asked, her voice now plagued with darkness, "that you were driven away by our bickering. He wanted you here and you left."

Elijah was stunned to silence. He went to try and speak but no words came out.

"That's what I thought," Rebekah sneered as she walked towards the door.

As she passed him, she gave him a meaningful shove, knocking him back against the wall where he slid slowly to the floor. His family was in pieces, and he didn't even have the strength to fight to put them back together. She was right, it was his fault for not being there. Listening closely, he heard the click of her heels rushing down the stairs, across the entry hall and out the front door, and when he was sure he was completely alone, Elijah broke down. Tears overcame him, causing his whole body to convulse as he mourned the death of his youngest sibling. Slowly, he collapsed until he was lying flat on his stomach, his hands grasping desperately into his hair.

"I'm so sorry, Kol...I'm so..."

Like the remaining members of his family, grief had finally overcome him. It burned through his veins like vervain, slowly ripping him into more and more pieces. From along the hall he could hear Niklaus moving, possibly coming to see what the commotion was all about, but when the footsteps passed the door, Elijah knew, he knew that somewhere deep inside, Nikalus blamed him too.


End file.
